Shloka 120
एतच्छुत्वा तु वचनं सक्किणी परिसंलिहन् । इन्द्राशनिसमस्पर्श दिव्यमन्त्राभिमन्त्रितम्,श्रीकृष्णका यह वचन सुनकर अपने दोनों गलफर चाटते हुए अर्जुनने सिंधुराजके वधके लिये धनुषपर रखे हुए उस बाणको तुरंत ही छोड़ दिया, जिसका स्पर्श इन्द्रके वजके समान कठोर था, जिसे दिव्य मन्त्रोंसे अभिमन्त्रित किया था, जो सारे भारोंको सहनेमें समर्थ था और जिसकी प्रतिदिन चन्दन और पुष्पमालाद्वारा पूजा की जाती थी
etac chrutvā tu vacanaṁ sakkiṇī parisaṁlihan | indrāśani-samasparśaṁ divya-mantrābhimantritam ||
Sañjaya said: Hearing these words, Arjuna, licking the corners of his mouth in grim resolve, at once released the arrow that had been set upon his bow for the slaying of the king of Sindhu—an arrow whose touch was as hard as Indra’s thunderbolt and which had been consecrated with divine mantras.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ethic of resolute action once a grave duty or vow is fixed: speech heard becomes decisive deed. It also shows the moral weight of using divinely empowered force—such power is directed toward a specific, vowed objective rather than indiscriminate violence.
Sañjaya narrates that, upon hearing the relevant words (contextually tied to the pursuit of Jayadratha), Arjuna immediately releases a specially consecrated arrow from his bow—described as thunderbolt-hard and mantra-empowered—aimed at killing the king of Sindhu (Jayadratha).